


Flowers on Your Desk

by farawisa



Series: How Tony became a Five-0 [4]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), NCIS
Genre: Anti Gibbs, Anti McGee, M/M, anti Ziva
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26929651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/farawisa/pseuds/farawisa
Summary: Steve sends Tony flowers for their anniversary. Tony’s team thinks he just got himself a pretend boyfriend.
Relationships: Anthony DiNozzo/Steve McGarrett
Series: How Tony became a Five-0 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922713
Comments: 48
Kudos: 414
Collections: Just Write! Trope Bingo





	Flowers on Your Desk

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for the Pretend Boyfriend challenge on Just Write Trope Bingo.
> 
> Hope you like it!

The next morning, Tony woke up late. He hadn’t been able to sleep the night before until he had sent off his resignation. This way he wouldn’t have to go in early today since his paperwork was up to date and he only had to get his stuff. The case was a waiting game right now anyway since they had to wait until Thursday for the meeting between Arthur Haskell and Deeter Johanson. 

Today was Wednesday, so it was one more day until the meeting, a meeting he wouldn’t be there for anymore. He was past caring. Long past. 

Tony yawned as he got up. He went into the bathroom to get ready for the day, smiling as he saw the calendar. It was October 19th. Sometime today, he would get 24 white lilies, because today, he and Steve would be together for 24 years. Since their first anniversary, Steve had always done this. No matter where either of them was, Tony would get lilies. Well, they had to give that year Tony had been undercover a miss, or rather Tony had thought so, but Steve had just sent over his flowers the day he had come off assignment. 

Just the thought made Tony smile. This day would be shit, what with having to get his stuff from NCIS, but he had Steve and Steve would be there for him, when he got to Hawaii. 

An hour later, Tony pulled into the Navy Yard. He had gotten some breakfast and coffee on the way and felt better than he had in months. Finally, his time at NCIS was over and soon he wouldn’t have to see these assholes that called themselves his partners and boss anymore. It was a weight off his shoulders. He also would soon be able to see Steve again. The last time had been the other man’s birthday and that was over three months ago. Sure, they talked to each other on skype nearly every evening, but face to face was something entirely different. 

It was already 1000 by the time he stepped out of the elevator and into the bullpen. The moment his eyes fell onto his desk, there was a wide smile on his face. Somehow, Steve had managed to get his lilies delivered here. Most of the flowers were in full bloom, with only a few still closed. The stamens of the open blossoms had been removed to reduce the mess his favourite flowers could make. Just like always. Steve was perfect. 

Tony made his way over to his desk, ignoring everything else. 

“DiNozzo!” he was startled out of his reverie by Gibbs’ bark. “Why the hell are you just coming in now? You were supposed to be here three hours ago. And get those weeds out of my office! They’re stinking up the place!”

“No,” Tony said, his face going hard. That was the last thing he would do. 

“What did you just say?” Gibbs asked, his eyes narrowed. 

“I said no,” Tony said, standing up straighter, before turning away from his former boss. He strode over to his desk and started to pack his things into his backpack. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Gibbs exploded.

“I forgot that not many people tell you this,” Tony replied calmly, turning back to his former boss. “But it means that I won’t do what you’re ordering, because quite frankly, I’m done taking orders from you.”

“As long as you work for me, you will follow my orders!” the marine exploded, getting into Tony’s personal space. 

“You see, Gibbs, that’s the point,” Tony replied, still not losing his calm. “I don’t. I don’t work for you anymore. My resignation is in your email. I also sent it to HR in case you ‘lose’ it. Now get out of my face.” 

Tony shoved Gibbs backwards, causing the older man to stumble since he hadn’t expected it and was too stunned by the younger man’s words.

“We’re not done talking about this,” Gibbs insisted as he stormed off, most likely to HR. 

“Yeah, we really are,” Tony replied quietly as he went back to his packing. 

Until now, McGee and David had just watched the interaction between Tony and Gibbs, but as the older man was now gone, they came over from their desks, descending on Tony like the vultures they were. 

“So, who’s ‘S’ supposed to be?” Ziva asked, grinning meanly as she pulled a card out of her back pocket. “Shirley, Sally, Sandra?” 

“What?” Tony asked, looking up from the desk drawer he was looking through. As his eyes fell on the card that was in Ziva’s hand, he went still. “So now you’re also snooping in your colleagues’ private messages, David?”

“It’s not like you have any real secrets, what with you chewing everyone’s ear off,” Ziva replied.

“Talking everyone’s ear off,” McGee corrected.

“Whatever,” Ziva shrugged off dismissively. “So who is it that supposedly sent you flowers? No doubt some stupid bimbo since she can’t even buy flowers right. You never buy an even number of flowers.”

“If you must know, _his_ name is Steve and he bought the perfect number of flowers since we’ve been together for 24 years today,” Tony bit out. “Now give me back my card.”

Ziva let it drop into Tony’s waste bin. “There you go. Do you really believe that we buy you having a boyfriend much less for the last 24 years? Do you think we’re stupid?”

“Could have fooled me,” Tony replied, acidly as he got the card back out of the waste, reading it over quickly. “What with how stupid you always act. Especially with you still pretending that you don’t know English idioms after living in the States for six years .”

He then continued to pack his stuff. Not caring whether or not the others believed him when he said that he and Steve had been together for nearly a quarter of a century. Soon he would never have to see them again. 

“Did you really quit, Tony?” McGee asked, noting that the older man wasn’t going to continue talking to Ziva.

“Not like I can trust you in the field anymore after the stunt you pulled yesterday,” Tony replied, his tone still cold. 

“Gee, can’t take a joke, can you?” Ziva asked.

“That’s not a joke and it wasn’t. You really turned off your coms. I heard the tape of the car.”

While McGee was at least looking uncomfortable by now, Ziva seemed totally unrepentant and dismissive.

“I can’t believe I risked my life to save you,” Tony said, shaking his head at Ziva. By now, he had finished going through the drawers in his desk and had moved on to the cabinet behind it as he continued talking to McGee. “I also can’t believe I asked Gibbs to add you to our team and spent so much time trying to get you to become a decent investigator.”

Tony ripped open the top drawer with more force than necessary. He started to empty it, too. 

“What a waste,” he muttered. 

“Now listen here,” Ziva said. “I never asked for your help. I would have gotten out just fine on my own. It also was the least you could do after killing Michael.”

“Are you even listening to yourself?” Tony asked, unbelieving. “First you say you didn’t need help and then you hold me responsible for getting you out. Also, it isn’t my fault that your lover is dead. Had you not kept him a secret, especially after you noticed that he was an enemy, he would still be alive. In prison maybe, but alive.”

Ziva just huffed at him. “At least I am able to form meaningful adult relationships. You need an imaginary boyfriend because you suck so much at getting anyone to stay with you.”

Tony just laughed at her baiting him. 

“I don’t care what you think,” Tony replied, by now calm again. He had finished with his packing and took the medals Gibbs had received that he had kept in his drawer and put them on the older man’s desk, along with his badge, gun and NCIS issued phone. 

“Well then,” Tony said, shouldering his backpack. “I would say, it has been a pleasure but I try to lie as little as possible.”

“You’re not going anywhere, DiNozzo!” Gibbs bellowed as he swept into the bullpen again. “Sit your ass down, you’re still mine. I cleared up this misunderstanding with HR. This case isn’t finished for one. Also you only get to quit when I say you can.”

As Gibbs came to a stop in front Tony, he drew himself up to his full height. “Stop being such a coward who quits when things get a bit difficult.”

Tony stared at Gibbs for a long moment before he scoffed.

“A bit difficult?” he asked, unbelieving. “I have spent the last eight years with a superior that revels in pitting his people against each other, even though he had promised me ten years ago that we would be partners. I had to listen to people who have no investigative background, how to do my job. Then I was ‘promoted to senior field agent’ and had both my boss and the agents under me shit all over the chain of command. I had to watch as the sister of my partner’s murderer was put on our team and any doubts I had about her being there were being ignored. I have lost count of how often she tried to kill me or get me killed. Then I had to take over for you.”

By now, Tony had also drawn himself up in front of Gibbs and was poking the older man in the chest. 

“While I had to continue solving cases, on my own, I might add, I had to try to hold this clusterfuck of a team together because Abby and Shepard were both throwing fits when I even thought about changing anything about this team. None of them wanted to risk one of your toys missing once you decided to come back. All while my authority was being undermined by those I was forced to keep on my team. Furthermore I had to contend with always being measured against you and your leadership style, which frankly sucks, and people being all bipolar about whether they want me to be more like you or less like you. I also had to do all the SFA paperwork on top of the team leader paperwork, because while McGee loved being SFA in name, he didn’t even think about doing the damn work.”

Here Tim at least had the decency to look sheepish and guilty. It wasn't much, but at least he seemed to start to understand that he had done something wrong. It was a start. 

"I also had to regularly calm down both your little princess and your so-called best friend from their temper tantrums over not being told about your dead wife and child or anything that was before you started at NCIS," Tony went on, on a roll now. “Because both of them were acting like three year olds who had their favourite toy taken away instead of their actual ages of decades older.”

Tony was shaking his head at all of them as if he couldn’t understand why he had never said any of this before. And really, he couldn’t. It felt so good to finally get this shit and his resentment off his chest. 

“Best of all in this time, however, was your former fuck who got it into her head to use me in an unsactioned op of revenge without any backup.” At least this, Gibbs knew. “That clusterfuck of a mission, I really don’t wanna rehash, but I had to mention it for completeness. It’s also not like things got better after you came back, what with you still not following the chain of command and always putting me down in front of everyone and not believing me about any concerns I came to you with. Then that op in LA happened with both you and Vance holding me responsible for Shepard’s death and telling everyone and their mother little Mossad princess’ version of events, which she had come up with to undermine me again, because you liked that one better than the truth.”

“Now listen here, you ungrateful little brat, I got you out of Baltimore...” Gibbs started, only to have his head shoot forward as he got a slap delivered to the back of it. He spun around to face a man that seemed to tower over him, even though he was only about an inch taller. His eyes narrowed at the stranger. “How dare you?” 

Tony could see the older man start to go red with rage at finally getting some of his own medicine. Steve however didn’t pay the marine any more attention. He strode towards Tony, his eyes worried. 

“You okay, mea ‘ono?” he asked, his hand going up to cup Tony’s face. Tony’s gaze turned soft at the endearment. If he had any worry that Steve wouldn’t want their relationship to be public, it was gone now, because so far, the other man had only called him that when they were alone and no one was listening. 

“I’m fine, tesoro,” he answered, smiling softly at his boyfriend. 

“Good,” Steve replied, before he got down to one knee, pulling a ring out of his pocket. “You have been part of my life for more than 28 years and we’ve been together for nearly a quarter of a century today. We overcame your career ending injury, Peoria, Philly, Baltimore and me being deployed most of our time together. We took care of the Hesse brothers and Wo Fat together. DADT isn’t a thing anymore. I’m in the reserves and staying in Hawaii full time and just took care of NCIS. We overcame all obstacles laid in our life together. I love that you get cold when it's sixty one degrees out, I love that you use movie references to get your point across, I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts, I love that after I spend a day with you I can still smell your cologne on my clothes and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely at the other end of the country, and it's not because it's our anniversary and I hate that you are having a bad day on it. I came here today because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of the life to start as soon as possible.”

By now, Tony had tears in his eyes as he looked at the man he loved. Trust Steve to carter to Tony's movie love and still make the proposal theirs. 

"Yes," he breathed and watched as Steve slid the ring on his finger. Most of the floor broke out into applause as Tony pulled his fiancé off the floor, into his arms and a deep kiss. Ziva and Gibbs on the other hand looked pissed. 

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Gibbs exploded, causing the two men to separate.

“Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, fiancé of Tony DiNozzo,” Steve grinned. “And let me tell you, I’m not amused with you and your team and how you treated my lover.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Gibbs asked.

“Well, as Tony just so eloquently laid out, you guys suck. He might have used nicer words, but that’s basically it. I thought that they taught about the chain of command in the marines, but you seem to have skipped that lesson. You also seem to have your head so far up your ass that it’s a miracle that you can breathe at all,” Steve replied, his eyes narrowed on the other man. You also have all these rules that you shit on when it suits you, never mind actual laws of the United States of America. It’s a wonder that so far none of your cases fell through because of your little team here, or rather, should I say, thank Tony that they didn’t, because in most cases he was the one that covered all your asses so that none of the perps you caught could get a get out of jail free card because you shit all over procedure. I’m so through with the shit you put Tony through in the last decade. You and your team broke rule number one, ‘Don’t screw over your partner’, so many times I lost count and I guess Tony’s not any better. You also broke rule five. You wasted good, asshole, and now he’s mine and coming with me to Hawaii, where he’ll be appreciated. You left a mess, Gibbs, now it’s time you cleaned it up.”

Steve turned to Tony and gave the other man a smile. 

“You done here?” he asked and his smile got wider when Tony nodded. “Let’s go home, then.”

The two left the bullpen to the sound of the other agents applauding again and Ziva being read her rights as she was arrested for treason, murder and attempted murder. Gibbs and McGee could only watch on as they were also led to interrogation rooms, their lives falling apart around them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
